


In the Cold Light of Day

by SkyLeaf



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Angst, F/F, Kissing, Pining, Post-Twilight Princess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27137278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyLeaf/pseuds/SkyLeaf
Summary: As the shadows descended upon Hyrule Castle once again, Zelda could almost make herself believe that she might see her.
Relationships: Midna/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	In the Cold Light of Day

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the "Laughter" prompt of Midzel Week 2020... once again, I have taken a word that, at least to me, is very positive and written an angsty story - what can I say other than that I love angst :)

It was the glacial chill of the early hours of night that awoke her.

Beneath the layers of blankets and eiderdown quilts, Zelda should have been safe from the cold, and yet she shivered as she opened her eyes to find herself staring into the darkness of her bedchambers, only a sliver of the soft glow of the moon able to make its way into the room to bring a bit of light along with it.

The wise thing to do would have been to pull the blanket up higher, to try to block out what had first caused her to wake up. By all means, that was what she should have done, preparing herself for the morning where the process of trying to figure out the best way to rebuild Hyrule after what had nearly been its destruction would begin again, the same meetings with the same ministers, officials, and chamberlains filling her days the way they had done since she had first stepped out onto the balcony to tell the citizens of Hyrule that they were safe. But if growing up under the scrutinizing glance of a small army of tutors, instructors, and nurses had taught her one thing, it was that the divide between what her duties ordered her to do and what her heart told her to do was sometimes too wide to bridge, so after only a moment of looking out into the darkness, Zelda pushed the eiderdowns aside, ignoring the soft thud of the little pile of blankets hitting the floor to instead push herself up into a sitting position and swing her legs over the edge of the bed.

The stony floor was bitterly cold against her feet, tiny knives of ice cutting into the skin as she made her way over to her desk, picking up the shawl from where she had thrown it over the back of the chair. The thin fabric only provided her with a fleeting sense of warmth, the comfort of it lying more in the feeling of being able to pull it tight around herself and convincing her body that it would help, but it was enough for Zelda to continue her journey towards a goal she could not quite make out in her mind.

In the silence of the castle, the sound of the door squeaking on its hinges sounded impossibly loud, Zelda freezing for a moment, already waiting to hear the sound of footsteps approaching, looking towards the winding staircase in front of her as she saw how the darkness of the night would be disturbed by a guard running towards her, a candle in hand as he would ask her what had happened, already prepared to take action against the threat that must have been present for her to behave so carelessly.

But no one came. The seconds continued to pass, marked by the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and the intervals of her short breaths, and still, no one came.

Finding a bit of comfort in the fact that, if nothing else, even if she would be found and ordered to return to her rooms within the next minute, she had still been able to leave the pale glow of the moon that illuminated her room, Zelda began to descend down the stairs, careful to make sure that there was not one loose stone that might betray her before taking another step forwards. Around her, the air only grew colder, and by the time she finally found herself at the foot of the staircase, Zelda had to clench her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. By now, the shawl felt almost colder than the night itself, making Zelda shrug off the thin piece of blue fabric to instead discard it in the corner as she ventured deeper into the castle.

There had been reparations going on within all of Hyrule for months, the Bridge of Eldin in particular having received the immediate care as it was vital to the delivery of food all over Hyrule, but despite her attempts at insisting that that would be their first priority, Zelda had known from the glances that had been exchanged around the table during that particular meeting that that would not be the case. Passing through the hallways she had been so careful to avoid before, Zelda could see the signs of that disagreement present in the walls, the only signs of the battle that had taken place mere months before now being the thin lines and changing colours where the new stones had not been able to completely blend in with the old.

Forcing herself not to think about it, Zelda instead turned her attention towards the tapestries that decorated the long corridors, the holes and tears that decorated a couple of them letting her know how parts of the castle had yet to be restored.

There they were, the stories of her ancestors. Reaching out to let the tip of her fingers follow the outline of the embroidered figures of past rulers and legends, Zelda tried her best to forget about the newest tapestry that would meet her at the end of the hallway, the way the artists had continued to come to her to ask for her opinions on what colours of thread would best depict the twilight despite her attempts at steering the questions towards one of the ministers instead, and the halfway finished depiction of herself with a bow of shining light in her hand.

But, of course, as much as she had wanted to avoid just that, Zelda found that her feet carried her to her destination almost without her thinking about it, and before long, she was once again brought face to face with everything that had happened. Standing there in the silence of the night, it was almost funny how little the queen the artist had tried to depict looked like her. Even without a candle to help her, Zelda could spot at least a handful differences, the way the hair of the person in front of her was a little shorter than her own, its colour a little lighter, and the dress that billowed in the wind just a bit too loose and comfortable for her to have ever been able to wear it.

Perhaps it was the differences that allowed her to continue forwards, rather than losing herself to studying the tapestry for the rest of the night. Zelda was not sure, nor did she care to find out as she continued her journey, soon reaching a set of double doors where intricate carvings let everyone who might not already have known be aware of the fact that what lay behind the doors was not meant for people to look at for their own amusement. Pressing her shoulder against the wood, finally finding a bit of comfort in the warmth she thought she could feel radiating from it, Zelda pushed the doors open and stepped into the ballroom.

With the vaulted ceiling making the room seem like it continued on for infinity as she craned her neck to look up into the darkness, it felt completely and entirely wrong for her to be there, to wander around in imperfect circles, spinning slightly, and enjoying the way her dress followed her movements, but that was nevertheless exactly what Zelda did. Closing her eyes and letting the silence around become a simple fact in her mind, she was almost able to recall the way it had felt to dance through the room during her coronation, led through dance after dance by nobles who made sure to politely ignore the fact that they would only have to step outside the room to see how Hyrule Castle still bore the scars of the invasion in its ruined walls and wilted courtyard. It had been a farce, something Zelda had suspected back then, but only saw for what it truly was now, in the silent room with only the faint glow of the moon to illuminate the world around her, the stained-glass windows giving the light a tinge of yellow. It had been a lie and an attempt at pretending that all was well, giving the citizens of Hyrule a parade of nobles greeting each other like old friends while plotting to use the moment to their advantage as a way to prove to them that they were safe.

Something had shifted since then. Zelda had felt the change upon first stepping into the room, the difference evident in more than just the lack of noise, the lack of brilliant colours and embroidered fabric, and the distinctive smell of trapped air that had replaced the dizzying aroma of perfume and flowers, but as she stood there, halfway between a pirouette and a few steps to one of the waltzes her tutors had insisted she would have to learn, she felt how the world changed around her yet again, another presence entering the room, somehow being even more present than the noise of the ball that had been organised as a way to celebrate her coronation.

Already before turning around, Zelda knew whom she would see, but that knowledge did nothing to stop the instinctive reaction of stepping backwards, a hand already pressed against her chest as she tried to convince herself that she must be imagining things, that the long days and sleepless nights must finally have caught up with her.

For in front of her, backlit by the yellow light, stood Midna.

She did not look any different from the person in Zelda’s memory, still the same as she had been when she had destroyed the Mirror, still with her hair making it seem almost like she would be able to light up the room, still with her black robes draped around her, still sending Zelda that little smirk when she noticed that she was looking at her.

“Zelda,” Midna said, bowing her head at her, and for some reason that, the tiny word was what broke the spell Zelda had found herself under, instead making the world come back to her in an instant, cold, ruthless, and so impossibly beautiful as she looked at Midna.

“You…?” she mumbled, the question left to hang in the air between them as Zelda struggled to find the words to continue, all of the hours she had spent getting rid of the little accent she had picked up in her childhood suddenly leaving her helpless as she shook her head, willing the words to come back to her. “You… how are you here—the Mirror, it was destroyed, I saw it myself!” the conclusion was there, waiting for her to reach out for it, Zelda only hesitating for a second before doing just that. Feeling how her heart sped up, the coldness of the room drawing back to allow her to take a step forwards, already picturing where she would have to search in the library for a clue to the questions the answer brought along with it, Zelda continued. “There was another portal, another way in, wasn’t there? Somehow, you found out about another way to get here, a path we can recreate to establish the connection between our kingdoms.”

A barely noticeable twitch made the light dance across Midna’s face as she stepped forwards, extinguishing the hope Zelda already knew was desperate with a regretful smile. “You know that isn’t true, Zelda.”

She knew. Just as suddenly as it had arrived, the joy that had bloomed in her chest disappeared again, leaving Zelda to look at Midna with what she already knew was despair apparent in her eyes. “But how? If you are here, there must be a way for us to—”

Midna shook her head, silencing her immediately. “No.” Midna said the word slowly, softly, almost like she was afraid that the peace that had come to rest around them would be broken if she raised her voice. “There isn’t. There is no second way, no other answer you have not already stumbled across in your attempt at exhausting your own strength and happiness. There is nothing you can do to make this become reality.” then, stepping forwards, holding out her hand, Midna added. “Please, dance with me.”

For a moment, all Zelda could do was to stare at her, a feeling that was not quite trepidation nor enthusiasm growing in her chest as she looked at the way the light formed a nimbus around Midna, making her look like the picturesque depiction of a ruler the artist had no doubt been intending to recreate when he had chosen those lurid colours for his tapestry. It was the calm before the storm, and the next moment, Zelda felt how it all crashed down around her, the full extent of what was happening dawning on her there, in the middle of the night in the ballroom of the castle that, while perhaps being meant as the official home of the monarch of Hyrule, belonged to the past rather than those walking through its halls. It felt like being lost at sea, a storm pulling at her from every side as she struggled desperately to hold onto the last thing she could find to ground her.

Stepping forwards, Zelda halfway expected to be swept away by the current, but somehow, she was able to remain upright as she approached Midna and everything the proffered hand meant, the beginnings of a smile pulling at her muscles as she looked up at her, halfway expecting for Midna to have disappeared in the time it had taken her to cross the room. But she was still there, still waiting for her with the same unreadable glimmer in her eyes. Despite everything that had happened, despite the fact that Zelda had seen the very same expression the moment before Midna had shattered the Mirror, that was what gave her the courage to finally reach out for her hand.

For a heartbeat, Zelda thought that she could feel the cold stones of the wall between their hands, the jagged edges of a shattered mirror cutting into her palms as she waited for the barrier to appear once more. But her heart continued, and the next moment, she had reached her, Midna letting her thumb rest lightly against the back of her hand as she led her towards the middle of the room, Zelda following along wordlessly.

With the light sweeping through the room, making the tiny specks of dust that clung to the air in front of them visible, Midna turned around, reaching out to place her hand just between Zelda’s shoulder blades and ribcage as she begun to move through the room, a slow dance leading her. It was not something Zelda recognised, some of the steps being so familiar to her that she could have sworn that it was the very same dance she had been pulled through by various suitors over the years, only for the next to be so different from the previous that it was nothing but the short glances Midna sent her way as well as the hand on her back, guiding her along that kept her from stumbling.

So close to one another, Zelda could almost believe that she was able to hear the sound of Midna’s heart beating, and yet, it still did not feel like it was quite enough, the dance still separating them by centimetres that felt like far too much in that moment.

Around them, a melody filled the air, at once appearing to be both loud and quiet, the exact tones of it disappearing when Zelda tried to focus on each instrument, leaving only the certainty of knowing that it was enough to take her through the dance, one step after another. Looking up, Zelda saw only how Midna’s smile held its own kind of light, warmer than the cold glow of the moon, but still softer than the bright light of the candles as she responded to her glance with one of her rare smiles.

Her frantic heartbeat coming to a rest, Zelda noted how the music had slowed as well, the rhythm that filled the room now being restful rather than resembling the hurried and frantic expressions that had been present for her coronation. Looking back up at Midna, Zelda allowed herself to break through the silence of the moment with her observation. “Adagio?”

Midna hummed softly, a melody Zelda could not recalled having ever heard before, before responding, her answer already being clear in the way she brought her closer to her, reducing the gap between them a little. “Yes. Relax, Zelda.”

And Zelda relaxed. Gliding through the night, she finally let herself pull Midna closer, resting her head against her shoulder, Midna’s hand immediately moving from her side to instead become entwined in her hair. It felt almost like a benediction as Midna hummed the same melody while they danced towards the side of the room, past the table that had held Zelda’s rapier as she had taken the oath of protecting Hyrule and everyone who might call it home, to instead move towards the spot where the opening leading out to the balcony made it seem almost like the castle had been given a scar in the battle as well, a gentle breeze coming in to fill the ballroom as Midna placed one hand on Zelda’s shoulder, leaning back ever so slightly to look down at her.

“Come,” she whispered, already moving towards the balcony, Zelda following behind, at once unsure of whether the fact that she was still holding onto Midna’s hand with the desperation of a man lost at sea was due to her being unwilling or unable to let go.

Outside, the air was bitterly cold, but the pain of the glacial temperature did not hold much importance for Zelda as she followed Midna to the edge of the balcony. There, placing her elbows on the balustrade to instead take in the town that created a patchwork of roofs, streets, and trees below, Midna stopped, Zelda coming to stand next to her.

As much as she tried, Zelda found that she could not figure out what Midna was thinking. She could not even think of a possible answer. Despite everything she had done to ensure that the opposite would be the case, Midna was still part of a world she could not hope to reach. But that would not keep her from reaching out for her to at least make an attempt at holding onto her hand, feeling the pull of the darkness that awaited her below.

Turning towards Midna and trying her best not to let the shadow that danced over her face take away her courage, Zelda reached out once again to close her hands around Midna’s. “I cannot express how…” Zelda hesitated, at once all too aware of how Midna was looking at her, unable to find the right word to describe just what feeling had overcome her when she had first turned around to see Midna standing there, and knowing that she would have to speak. In the end, she ended up simply gesturing towards herself, pointing towards her heart and hoping that would be enough as she continued, “much it means to me to see you here.”

There had been a fear that what they had shared had only existed within her mind, but that was all swept aside as Midna responded by moving closer, reaching out to place her arm around her, giving Zelda just a little bit of the warmth that seemed to radiate from her as she answered. “Neither can I.”

The silence settled between them, but unlike the times she had felt the discomfort of sitting in a meeting with the knowledge that everyone around the table were either waiting for her to banish all of their plights as if by magic or for her to make a mistake, to misjudge the situation and react in a way that would allow them to shake their head and ask why Nayru had taken back her gift, now, Zelda was able to relax, feeling how her guard was lowered. In the light of the moon, with the blue tinge contrasting with her hair, Midna looked almost like what Zelda had imagined Nayru to look like when she had sneaked into the throne room as a child, spending those precious minutes she had before her nurse would run in after her, already apologising to the king as she dragged her out along with her, in front of the statue of the goddesses.

“You know,” Zelda said, tearing her gaze away from Midna to instead nod towards the town below them, “at my coronation, when I stepped out into this balcony to be declared the rightful ruler of Hyrule, these streets where all filled with people smiling and waving at me. I had to blink a couple of times before I could believe what I was seeing, to realise that it was all real, that they were all there, safe and happy, because we were able to succeed. But they were there, waving flowers at me as they cheered.” sneaking a short glance at Midna, Zelda waited for her reaction, but Midna kept her face carefully blank, only the slight twitch of a muscle near her mouth revealing that her calmness was rehearsed. Perhaps that was why Zelda continued, ignoring the memory of the frightened girl who had stepped in front of the well in a hopeless attempt at defending her first and only friend. “My advisors had told me everything I had to say in my speech, filled it with promises of how I would ensure the perpetuity of the kingdom, and made me rehearse it until I would have been able to recite it in my sleep, but it was not until I stood there in front of all those people who had come to celebrate the end of the invasion and the freedom they could all enjoy that I understood what my ancestors had meant when they had written about loving Hyrule more than they would ever be able to love any person. All of those people, all of them able to live freely and happily.” making a sweeping gesture towards not only Castle Town, but the world around them as a whole, Zelda leant a bit closer towards Midna, reaching up to touch the hand that still rested on her shoulder. “And they are able to do that because of you.” immediately, Zelda felt Midna stiffen next to her, felt how the easy touch became tense, but she continued. “You and Link, you are the ones we have to thank for all of this. My people might have looked at me while thanking the goddesses for our freedom, but, really, they should have looked at you.”

“What is done is done,” Midna stated, her words cold, but not necessarily unkind, “I destroyed the Mirror to keep both your world as well as my own safe. There is no way to undo that, nothing I can do to avoid losing you. Even if I would be able to change the past, as a monarch, I would have to spend my entire life fighting the urge to give in to my own selfish wishes. The Mirror was a threat, Zelda, to your world as well as mine.”

“But you are here now.” already as she said it, Zelda could practically feel how the hair-thin fractures began to spread over what had been built between them. Soon, so soon that she could practically feel the electric current of fate weaving through the air in front of her, it would come to an end, bringing down every last defence she had been able to build up around herself.

It should have hurt, the painful sensation of being separated once more burning into her skin, but, somehow, Midna’s smile let the wound cool. “I am your reflection, Zelda. Just as the Twilight Realm and Hyrule are the mirror images of one another, so are you and I.”

Conjuring up a goblet with what Zelda would only believe was magic, Midna stepped towards her, pausing for a moment to push the strand of hair that had left its place in the bun at the nape of her neck. Rather than withdrawing her hand, however, she let it rest there, creating a soft pressure against Zelda’s skin, as Midna slowly, with a hesitant look in her eyes, moved to instead rest her hand against her cheek, the metal of the rings on her fingers forming a calming sensation as Zelda fought against the fire that seemed to be able to turn the icy night into a day that was warmer than even the air around Death Mountain. As Zelda leant into the touch, reaching up to bring her own hand on top of Midna’s, keeping it there like that was enough to convince Midna to stay, Midna raised the goblet, the flawless metal reflecting the stars behind her head as Zelda looked at it

“You know the truth about how I came.” the goblet shook slightly, mirroring the slight tremble of Midna’s voice as she spoke. “You can see it when you look in the mirror, when you catch a glimpse of your own reflecting in the calm waters of the ponds around you, when you look into your silver plates and see yourself. You know, Zelda, and you know that I am unable to stay, that it was never possible for us to remain in the same world.”

It was true. As much as Zelda had tried to deny it, had clung to the vision of the future that had never been more than a dream of a lonely princess locked in a tower, able to read about being trapped by dragons, but never by the rules and demands for decorum that her tutors would remind her of, as she had felt her heartbeat slow, the magic that dwelled within her dwindling as Midna began to move again on the ground in front of her, she knew that what Midna was saying was true. It had always been. The Twilight Realm and Hyrule were two sides of the same coin, but they were still separate, and with the Mirror gone, they would remain that way. Zelda had read enough stories to know the farce that would be the rest of her life. With a bit of ingenuity, she might be able to delay the inevitable epilogue of marriage, heir, children, and abdication, but it would always follow, a sure conclusion to her life.

Though Zelda had yet to utter a word in response to her words, Midna must have been able to know her thoughts, for she did not waste a moment. Momentarily taking a step back, the lack of both the cold of her rings and the warmth of her skin washing over Zelda, Midna wrapped her arms around her, her presence encircling her as she brought her into a tight embrace that allowed her to bring her mouth so close to Zelda’s ear that, even if anyone were to step out onto the balcony in that moment, they would not have been able to overhear her hushed words.

But Zelda was. Hearing every word, she was able to pick them apart, making sure to store every last one of them within a safe spot in her mind, one where they would never be lost again. For once forgoing the pretence and decorum, she craned her neck, rising to the tip of her toes as she closed that last gap between them.

The world around her becoming little more than a faint whisper, Zelda allowed herself to focus on nothing but the kiss, all senses momentarily fading away to instead let her lose herself in the sensation of Midna holding onto her, gripping a fistful of fabric from her thin nightgown as she pulled her closer, searching for a way to permanently bridge the distance that still remained. She did not hear the clatter of metal against stone, but as Midna reached up to caress her cheek, her hand sliding over her arm, catching the fabric and pulling it up slightly, the touch hovering above the lines of her shoulder and neck for a moment, Zelda knew that it must have happened, the goblet and the truth she knew she would find in its reflection finally gone as she instead deepened the kiss.

Once, one of her tutors, a particularly dry man who had travelled all the way from a kingdom the name of which she had been unable to pronounce for the first week after Auru had hired him in an attempt at distracting her from the courtyard and the loss she had already suffered, had tried to begin a debate with her about the exact meaning of the ancient texts in the library, focusing on the role time was given in the depiction of Nayru. It had never seemed all that important to her, just another instance of Zelda clenching her jaw, struggling to keep her mouth shut as her attention was once again stolen away by the windows and the view of the courtyard they could offer her. Now, however, as she moved closer to Midna, her hand resting on the small of her back as she fought against the forces around them, the question of whether the goddess she had come to regard as her patron might really be able to bring an end to the passage of time seemed more important than ever, Zelda whishing with all her heart that it might be so.

But just like it had happened when she had been led back to her room all those years ago, first arguing, then screaming, and at last crying, her pleas were left unanswered.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the night, amplified by the vaulted ceiling of the ballroom inside, and, still, Zelda refused to let go, still holding onto Midna as the guard burst out onto the balcony.

“Your Majesty,” he exclaimed, sinking down, the candle held up above his head as he knelt, his gaze fixed on a point directly in front of him, never on her, never breaking etiquette, “one of the servants found your shawl, and when we could not find you, we assumed that—”

She raised her hand. That was all it took, the guard silenced by a mere gesture. “I apologise for having caused concern.” Zelda spoke, but she did not hear her own voice leave her mouth. Instead, it was the voice of the queen of Hyrule that flowed through the air, smooth, clear, even, and with the perfect amount of cordial distance, as she regarded the guard in front of her, noting the way the flickering flame of the candle chased away the shadows around them, forcing them to retreat back into the nooks and crannies of the castle. “I simply needed a moment to clear my mind.”

To her surprise, the guard rose from the ground, meeting her gaze without a hint of fear to be found in his eyes. “I understand. I…” a second of hesitation betrayed him, showing his bravery as the façade it was, but he continued nevertheless, “if I may, Your Majesty, I actually do the same myself sometimes. It is almost strange what wonders a couple of moments alone can do, won’t you say?”

The glow of the candle was caught and reflected by something to her left, Zelda following the flash, only to feel how her heart sunk as she spotted the goblet lying abandoned on the ground. Clearing her throat, she could already hear how the emotion seeped into the poise of the queen, but it did not matter. Nothing did, not when she had spent her entire life perfecting the façade of a monarch. “Yes,” Zelda heard herself say, “yes, solitude is sometimes able to reveal secrets we did not even know we carried within us.”

Clearly unsure of how to react, what to say, the guard looked caught halfway between wanting to nod and wanting to offer her a piece of advice. In the end, however, he did none of that, the way his eyes widened instead letting her know that, much like her, he too had spotted the goblet. “My apologies, Your Majesty, but it would appear that we neglected our cleaning duties after the last ball. Here, let me—”

Zelda saw how it happened, the guard moving past her, picking up the goblet, already about to turn back around towards her, no doubt intending on taking the goblet to the treasury the moment he was certain that she would be safe from the horrors of the night within her bedchamber for it to only be brought out whenever they would have to entertain the princes of kingdoms with royal families that had a size that had forced the younger princes to search for power elsewhere.

“No! It is mine.”

The façade crumbled, the guard freezing halfway through a step, gaze fastened on her, a crease already appearing between his brows as he tried to make the desperation in her voice fit in with what he knew about the queen of Hyrule.

“Uh.” with a tone of voice that let her know that the reason he could not meet her gaze was not due to the respect for a monarch, but rather the worry for a young woman who had sneaked out of her rooms in the middle of the night to instead stare up at the night sky all alone on her balcony, the guard looked down at the goblet for a moment before at last handing it over to her, withdrawing his hand the moment her fingers closed around the stem of it. “Here, Your Majesty.”

She opened her mouth, already tasting the way the thankyou would taste on her tongue. It must have been the thousandth time she had said it within only that week, the word thrown around back when she had been spun through the ballroom by every prince who had seen her kingdom and decided to attempt to make it theirs, offering compliments, praises, intellectual debates, and wit every time she had even glanced in their direction. But the word refused to spill out into the world, the silence between them instead growing as she clutched the goblet closer to her chest.

“Pardon my intrusion,” the guard pulled her back to the situation at hand, the slight jerk of his hand letting her know that, had it not been for the fact that he was standing in front of his monarch, the melancholy Zelda could see reflected in his eyes when he looked at her or not, he would have reached out for her elbow, would have tried to lead her back inside, or offered her his coat as a way of protecting her from the cold she could once again feel under both her nightgown and skin, “but are you all right?”

There was no title, none of the awkward fumbling for the right words, the slight pause as some of the older guards would come to a halt halfway through the wrong title to instead begin anew, always stumbling over the word, and for a fraction of a second, Zelda toyed with the idea of letting him in on a secret. But the urge disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. That had been her mistake the last time, not guarding what was between her and Midna carefully enough. This time, she would make sure that no one but her knew what led her to wander the halls at night, not caring about the rumours that would undoubtedly follow as the news of how the queen had been found alone on the balcony, looking at the town below, would spread through the castle.

Offering the guard a smile she knew they were both able to tell was fake, Zelda nodded. “It is quite all right. I thank you for the concern for my wellbeing, but I assure you that, other than perhaps a need for a moment of rest, I am perfectly fine.”

A moment where she could see how the guard was visibly trying to decide between obeying the implicit order and staying to complete his duty of ensuring her wellbeing followed, but, at last, the guard bowed again, walking over to leave the candle on the balustrade without a word before turning around and heading back inside.

Zelda waited until she could no longer hear the thud of the heavy boots of the Hyrulean army against the floor before she dared to raise the cup to the level of her eyes. In the flickering light from the candle, the reflection that met her eyes was all too familiar, a pale face with dark circles beneath the eyes and tangled hair being all that was to be found in there. A pair of eyes she had heard referred to as brilliant more times than she could count stared back at her as Zelda searched for something more, even the tiniest sign of her having overlooked Midna’s smirk, the colours of them looking almost dull in the cold metal of the goblet.

She did not hear the goblet hit the ground once more, the sound disappearing in the rustle of fabric as she slid down to the ground. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Zelda leant back against the balustrade, feeling how the cold stones caught onto the dress, no doubt creasing it, as she stared into the darkness. In the morning, she would have to go back, once again returning to her own world, but for now, for the next few hours, she could at least pretend to inhabit the same world as Midna.

With the idea of Midna being able to sense her wish to see her again to comfort her, Zelda leant back and looked up, seeing how the stars shone down above her, bathing Hyrule and everything in it in an ethereal glow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this - I hope that you enjoyed this fanfiction :D


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